Faced with crippling fines after a July 1 compliance deadline, Mother Angelica’s network files for an injunction from the nation’s highest court.

CNA/EWTN News

WASHINGTON — The EWTN Global Catholic Network has filed a motion for emergency relief with the U.S. Supreme Court, asking for an injunction to bar enforcement of the federal contraception mandate.

Michael Warsaw, chairman and CEO of EWTN, explained that the network has already requested this protection with the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals, “but that court has yet to respond to our petition.”

Without an injunction offering protection from the mandate, EWTN would be forced to comply with its demands starting July 1. As a result, the network filed its motion for emergency relief with the high court June 27.

“We are hopeful that the Supreme Court will grant EWTN protection from this onerous rule that would force us to provide contraception and abortion-inducing drugs as part of our employee health plan,” Warsaw said.

“As we have said repeatedly, these drugs and procedures are not health care, and EWTN should not be forced to provide them or face over $35,000 per day in penalties to the government for refusing to do so.”

He explained that in addition to the emergency injunction request, “the network is also filing a motion asking the Supreme Court to take up the full merits of our case.”

“We believe that the issues at stake are deserving of direct consideration by the highest court of the land,” he said.

The EWTN lawsuit challenges the federal HHS mandate, which requires most employers to either provide or facilitate employee insurance coverage for contraception, sterilization and some drugs that can cause early abortions.

More than 300 plaintiffs have filed lawsuits across the country charging that the mandate violates federal and constitutional protections of religious freedom.

The Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, which is defending EWTN in court, has observed that more than 80% of cases have received rulings protecting the religious freedom of those objecting to the mandate.

In early 2012, EWTN filed an initial lawsuit against the regulation. However, that suit was dismissed on technical grounds in March 2013. The current lawsuit was filed in October 2013.

EWTN has maintained that, as an organization, it was founded to uphold Catholic teaching, which opposes contraception, sterilization and abortion. Warsaw has previously stated that the network “simply cannot facilitate these immoral practices.”

“The government fought the Little Sisters of the Poor all the way to the Supreme Court, and now it is fighting Eternal Word Television Network all the way to the Supreme Court,” said Lori Windham, senior counsel for the Becket Fund.

“It’s time for the government to stop its war on nuns and protect religious ministries from this unjust mandate. Our laws give EWTN the right to practice what it preaches.”

The Supreme Court will issue a decision on June 30 involving the mandate as it applies to for-profit businesses owned by individuals with religious objections.

That case, which was filed by Hobby Lobby and Conestoga Wood Specialties, will not necessarily apply to EWTN, Warsaw noted.

“Therefore, we felt it important to move our own case forward now, while we await the verdict in the Hobby Lobby case.”

“We ask our EWTN family to continue to keep this matter in prayer.”

Founded 33 years ago by Mother Angelica, a cloistered Franciscan nun, EWTN is now the largest religious media network in the world, reaching more than 230 million television households in more than 140 countries and territories.

The network includes television, radio and a publishing arm, along with a website and both electronic and print news services. Catholic News Agency and the National Catholic Register are services of EWTN.

@Barbara Mathews: I didn’t miss your point; conceding for the moment that you actually HAD one, you certainly neglected to MAKE it. What, pray, was this alleged point you supposedly had?

Posted by Barbara Mathews on Monday, Jun, 30, 2014 7:39 PM (EST):

You missed my points entirely, Tom. You seem to want to label people, though. Good luck.

Posted by Tom in AZ on Monday, Jun, 30, 2014 12:19 PM (EST):

@Barbara Mathews: All those passages mean only that words can be as immoral as physical actions, and that one cannot expect mercy if one does not show it. Elsewhere, however, Christ is quite clear that it is no service to anyone not to accurately describe evil.
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What you call “name-calling” (a phrase ordinarily restricted to use by eight-year-olds) looks, to me, an awful lot like “disclosing” sin, “when we have an obligation to do so”. Your simpering, self-righteous objection to the “name-calling”, on the other hand, looks an awful lot like “protecting evil-doers”.
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One does not need to know what is in the hearts of anyone, to denounce acts of objective evil. The Obama administration is engaged in a great deal of moral evil; that they might collectively be too stupid or brainwashed to go to hell for it, is immaterial to that manifest fact.

Posted by Barbara Mathews on Sunday, Jun, 29, 2014 7:37 PM (EST):

@Tom in AZ: Matthew 5:22 - “But I say to you, whoever is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment and whoever says to his brother ‘Raqa’ will be answerable to the Sanhedrin, and whoever says, ‘You fool,’ will be liable to fiery Gehenna.”

Luke 6:37 - “Stop judging and you will not be judged. Stop condemning and you will not be condemned. Forgive and you will be forgiven.”

CCC 1868 - Sin is a personal act. Moreover, we have a responsibility for the sins committed by others when we cooperate in them: -by participating directly and voluntarily in them; - by ordering, advising, praising, or approving them; -by not disclosing or not hindering them when we have an obligation to do so; -by protecting evil-doers.

So, sir, just because you personally don’t like the current administration, we are prohibited to call them names. We don’t know what is in their hearts as our Lord Jesus did the Pharisees. And I can’t judge anyone or you as I still have a wooden beam in my eye.

Posted by markrite on Sunday, Jun, 29, 2014 11:43 AM (EST):

Do not all of you Catholic and Evangelical religious entities realize what’s ultimately behind this “mandate” from Obama? First, this ‘mandate’ is overtly hostile towards all Christian bodies who operate religious and charitable programs, some commercial businesses, in the U.S., but specifically attacks just one denomination, that obviously being the Catholic Church? So Obama is targeting one above all in his bullying campaign to intimidate all into knuckling under to his evil administration? Yes, I said EVIL administration. And there’s a reason for that characterization. For there’s a most luminous, vastly evil spiritual intelligence operating through many governments today. Even our own, very sad to say. That evil and luminous intelligence is none other than lucifer, the fallen Seraph, who retains a good deal of resources to obfuscate truth and bamboozle so many; part of it could be that due to so many unborn children being horribly murdered through legalized evil, abortion on demand, over one billion since 1980 worldwide, Our Lord’s not real happy with humanity in general. And so a chastisement permitted from Him is ensuing partly because of this murderous holocaust of innocent babies in the womb. BTW, such evil exists RIGHT UNDER THE NOSE OF THE VATICAN! Now this is a huge story that’s NOT BEING TOLD to the faithful much these days, that is, lucifer and his hordes of evil spirits being loosened upon humankind. But Pope Paul VI knew about it back in the closing days of Vatican II. He gave a long locution about it then, and was very adamant that this demonic problem be studied and preached about. He reiterated such in November of 1972, and a lot of it is printed in the 2nd volume from the Chief Exorcist of Rome, Fr. Gabriel Amorth, “An Exorcist-more stories,” and also an excellent analysis of the general assault by satan on the Catholic Church, in a book by Fr. Joseph M. Esper, “Satan’s assault on the Church & the coming triumph of the Immaculate Heart.” Wake up fellow Catholics, lucifer knows his TIME IS SHORT, so all the stops are being pulled. Holy Immaculta, Co-Redemptrix of the human race, please pray for us.

Posted by Thirst4Truth on Sunday, Jun, 29, 2014 11:21 AM (EST):

Hopefully all who read this will support your efforts to continue without
harassment preaching the Word of the Lord with their own prayers and sacrifices. To be Catholic/Christian in this country has now come to be on the “wrong” side of government. Historically, that has always led to persecution and martyrdom. Let us pray!!

Posted by Tom in AZ on Sunday, Jun, 29, 2014 12:21 AM (EST):

@Barbara Mathews: Given that Christ called people “whited sepulchers, beautiful outside but within full of corpses and every unclean thing”, “brood of vipers”, told Pharisees “you belong to your father the devil and do his will”...among other choice turns of phrase…when, exactly, did he denounce “name-calling”, pray tell?

Posted by kkroll on Saturday, Jun, 28, 2014 10:42 PM (EST):

So what if the ruling comes down unfavorably ... Do what the President and Holder do—IGNORE the ruling and DO NOT pay the fines—let the country in on the dirty fascists and what their reactions to not paying would be. We may be close to anarchy here.

Posted by Andy on Saturday, Jun, 28, 2014 10:06 PM (EST):

Continue with the self-inflicted martyrdom, if you feel you must. Most of us have been paying premiums into insurance plans that included contraceptives for 40+ years now—including +Dolan and +Kurtz in their archdioceses. Somehow (hand to forehead) they were able to do so under basic principles of remote, material participation in evil. But, EWTN, if you, with all the cameras rolling, really think this is a big deal, then by all means, continue.

Posted by Barbara Mathews on Saturday, Jun, 28, 2014 2:36 PM (EST):

EWTN has my support for their exception as they have always been a religious organization and promotes those teachings. And unlike others who have posted in these comments, EWTN has never felt the need to stoop to name calling which our Lord denounced and called sinful.

Posted by Neale Lanigan on Saturday, Jun, 28, 2014 10:53 AM (EST):

Very simple really, and a wonderful way to make EWTN and its supporters become a kind of martyr and a wonderful example for all Christians. Refuse! Refuse to comply and refuse to pay the fine! Let the government come after you but make sure the cameras are rolling.

Posted by poetcomic1 on Saturday, Jun, 28, 2014 10:18 AM (EST):

Gary M-
I call it Same Sex Mirage.

Posted by Gary M on Saturday, Jun, 28, 2014 5:52 AM (EST):

Recently our country is in moral decay not seen since the generation of flower children. Funding for Obama socialism is trying to force us to compromise our country’s Christian and Catholic traditions, as I see it it is a threat to our of our pursuit of happiness as defined in the constitution. Legalized Marijuana, Same sex mariage,(intentionally misspelled) weak national defense and no foreign policy, socialized medicine. Let us all pray for tolerance of these misdeeds until righteousness again prevails.

Posted by Chris on Friday, Jun, 27, 2014 10:14 PM (EST):

The Obama administration is evil, tyrannical and unAmerican to the core. I’m praying for EWTN and for our country.

Posted by poetcomic1 on Friday, Jun, 27, 2014 9:49 PM (EST):

So this is what it feels like to lose my country and my freedom.

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